Attracting New and Retaining current members
20 Years In The Making It was one cool December 2004 evening when I had dinner with a university friend. It had been years since we saw each other, and it was an excellent opportunity to reminisce about our school days.One thing that night stuck in my mind; a new strange word I hadn’t heard before. Toastmasters.I started to become curious about what it was about. First, I thought it was a group of people baking and cooking something; like …
SHINE THE LIGHT Stories of Inspiration and Success In District 42 we believe that every member has a story to tell. Stories which can bring hope to other members who might be stuck, and inspiration to clubs which may be languishing. District Director Bev LeBlanc wants to leave a legacy of hope and inspiration by collecting these stories and sharing them on our District website. Her goal is to collect and share 200 stories from our members and clubs. We …
Holiday Greetings Dear fellow Toastmasters, As we approach the end of another year, it is a time to reflect on all that we have achieved and to look forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead. I am grateful for this opportunity to extend warm holiday greetings to all of you, and to express my deep appreciation for your dedication and commitment to our shared mission. Toastmasters is a wonderful organization that brings people together from all walks of life, …
Club Fitness Award Recipients At the time we are writing this article, we have identified some of the clubs in our district that have achieved the Club Fitness Award. With the help of our Area Directors, we confirmed that they have completed: Renewing and updating their Club Success Plan Verifying Club Roster Conducting a Moments of Truth Club Roster Administrative tasks aren’t sexy, and there really isn’t anything to show for the effort! But these are the invisible jobs that make a Club run smoothly. …
A Success Plan for Life Looking at the calendar on my wall, instead of just seeing the days filled with things to do, if I step back a bit, I see we have already ended our first quarter of the year. Who snapped their fingers & made it so? 39 or 39ish. How many of you can guess what this number means? It is the number of days until CHRISTMAS (depending on when you read this article). Again, someone snapped …
The Platinum Rule An article on the Platinum Rule caught my attention recently as it relates to how we serve our members. We are accustomed to the traditional Golden Rule where “we treat other people the way we like to be treated.” This article pointed out that such a golden rule may not be the best way. To serve others in a more efficient, effective, and everlasting way is by applying this – “Treat other people how they want to …
Membership Building and Retention We have shared several articles on membership building and retention. We think we can talk more about it. With all the tips that you have seen and read, there is one thing in common. It is the focus on WIIFM – What’s in it for them (or me in the guests’ viewpoint)? Let us take a few of those tips starting with these below: Welcome guests warmly Schedule educational speeches Welcome guests warmly We know we …
DCP Go-Getter Award Winners The DCP Go-Getter Award was designed to highlight the importance of Membership growth and retention. Striving to attain the 10 prescribed DCP goals in a Toastmaster year, helps create a dynamic club environment and a quality member experience. Just as members are at the heart of a Club, a quality member experience is at the heart of that Club’s Mission statement. Everyone will want to belong to a club that delivers on that mission of a …
What inspires you? One thing that I love about Toastmasters is that it is so flexible that it meets a wide variety of needs with the same program. I like to think it stretches to meet you where you are. If you need help with your career or need to prepare for an interview, we have the Dynamic Leadership path or table topics. If you are feeling a little isolated or lonely and want to meet some new people, come …
Let’s roar together WOW! Did you see January and February fly by with lightning speed? Where did the time go? Let me give you a brief recap of the past couple of months: 3 Division training sessions with more than 300 officers and members attending At least 12 educational sessions Area & Division Council Meetings Open House Celebrations Planning for Contest Season We have four months left of this Toastmaster year. How are you going to go out—like a lamb …
Building Membership We have been campaigning for the “Talk Up Toastmasters” award recently. It covers the increase in membership during February and March primarily through spreading the word and bringing guests to your club meeting. We already have one club in our district that has gained five members in February – “Igniters Club.” Here are the tips from Igniters Club. We have two more clubs that are getting there, with three new members in February: “Twin Towers Toastmasters Club” and “Calgary Talking …
Membership Building Fellow Toastmasters, we have come a long way. We have had a challenging year, especially with the pandemic and the membership of our clubs is just one of those things that were affected by it. In any case, we have another six months to go in our Toastmasters calendar year. It has been proven that word of mouth is one of the best ways to grow our clubs, which is the basis of the “Talk Up Toastmasters” membership-building …
Visit An Open House Toastmasters District 42 invites you to the following Toastmaster Club open houses to meet members and watch special guest speakers talk about the importance of communication skills for today’s professionals. Toastmasters clubs provide a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills,” says Katrina Aburrow, District 42 Director. After hearing from special speakers, members and guests will enjoy a regular Toastmasters meeting that will include prepared speeches, Table …
The Calgary Pace Setters Toastmasters Club celebrated its 30th anniversary on May 1, 2021. In honor of the occasion, a special meeting was held virtually on Tuesday, May 4th, 2021. Numerous current and past members along with distinguished Area, Division, and District guests attended the virtual party. The year was 1991-a year filled with many historic moments. The USSR formally dissolved, the first-ever website (titled the World Wide Web) was launched, Silence of the Lambs won the Academy Award for best picture, becoming …
Are you looking for a Toastmasters meeting to attend over the summer? Look no further. To register your club as a Sunshine Club, please please submit Club name, meeting days/times, and contact info to D42 PRM. To qualify for the Sunshine Virtual Badge, submissions must be received by June 30, 2021. Any submission received after that date will be listed; however, the club will not receive the Sunshine Club Badge. If you’re interested in attending a meeting during July or …
Toastmasters District 42 invites you to the following Toastmaster Club open houses to meet members and watch special guest speakers talk about the importance of communication skills for today’s professionals. Toastmasters clubs provide a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills,” says Christina Kruis, District 42 Director. After hearing from special speakers, members and guests will enjoy a regular Toastmasters meeting that will include prepared speeches, Table Topics™ (impromptu speeches) and …
It’s that time of year again – February! Time to Talk Up Toastmasters! Let’s ramp up our membership recruitment efforts for our clubs! Talk Up Open Houses We invited guests to January Open Houses. Or we are going to invite them to our February Open House. Guess what – your club can win a membership recruitment award! That’s right, sign up your guests. Then get them involved as new members in your club from February 1 to …
Alisen Dopf experienced information overload when she joined Toastmasters. As a new member she relied on in-person meetings to learn about Toastmasters. However, when the pandemic hit, it became a challenge to transition from in-person to online meetings. Alisen realized her situation was not unique. As a result she decided to create the New Member Boot Camp. When new members don’t know how to access information they get frustrated. They don’t understand the roles during a club meeting. They don’t …
The DCP (Distinguished Club Program) helps members and clubs experience success. Start by knowing how this Toastmasters program works.
Open the door of opportunity to others. Invite others to join you at a Toastmasters meeting to help your club win a Smedley Award.